2016 Mercedes-Benz S550e: Plug-in Flagship

Mercedes-Benz continues to add models to its line-up. Having debuted in 2014 with a single engine choice, 2016 finds us with a bevy of choices, totaling six. The latest addition is this: the 2016 S550e.

Mercedes claims that with the S550e, you’ll get the power of a V8, with the fuel economy of a four-cylinder.

The actual gas engine in the S550e falls between the two: it’s a 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6, good for 329 horsepower. Of course, the big news is that its paired with another, electric, motor. Mercedes is claiming an extra 114 hp from the EV motor, giving drivers a total of 436 hp to play with. It’s a plug-in hybrid, with a lithium-ion battery rated at 8.7 kWh.

Transmitting all that power is not the 9-speed we’re seeing on some Mercedes models, but a 7-speed 7G-Tronic Plus unit. It helps get the S550e to 100 km/h from rest in a claimed 5.2 seconds, on to a top speed of 210 km/h. Perhaps most importantly for this application, Mercedes is claiming a full-EV range of 33 km/h.

Since it’s bound to sit high on the model range, the S550e will surely be crammed with features that would require something just short of a doctorate thesis to describe in full detail.

So far, Mercedes has mentioned nothing about the S550e’s price, but considering that it will likely sit between the S400 and S550 in the line-up, expect something in the $110,000 range.